1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to automatic clothes dryers. In one aspect, the invention relates to a sensor assembly for an automatic clothes dryer which is initially operated for a preselected time prior to initiation of a drying cycle. The sensor output is evaluated to determine whether the dryer is set up and operating properly. The results are available to a consumer as a visual output or stored for later retrieval by a service technician.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automatic clothes dryers are well known, and typically comprise a cabinet enclosing a horizontally rotating drum accessible through an access door at the front of the cabinet for holding clothing items to be dried. Rotation of the drum is driven by a motor. The motor can also drive a blower or fan which delivers dry, heated or unheated air to the drum for drying the clothing items. Alternatively, the blower can be driven by a separate motor. A heater is typically positioned in an air inlet assembly upstream of the drum for heating the drying air prior to its entry into the drum. The blower exhausts humid air from the drum through an exhaust outlet assembly to a discharge location exterior of the cabinet. Typically, the exhaust outlet assembly comprises a flexible conduit fabricated of wire-reinforced plastic or segmented metal installed between the cabinet and the discharge location.
Efficient, economical operation of the dryer and drying of the clothing items requires unobstructed airflow through the drum and the exhaust outlet assembly. During installation of the dryer, particularly a consumer self-installation, the flexible conduit can become twisted, kinked, or obstructed so that the air flow therethrough is impeded. The user may also fail to clean the lint trap sufficiently, and lint may accumulate in the exhaust outlet assembly, particularly the flexible conduit. Finally, the air inlet can also become obstructed over time through the accumulation of dust and lint. These conditions can remain unrecognized or easily ignored by the user. Any of these conditions can reduce the airflow through the dryer, adversely affecting the drying of the clothing items, increasing the cost of operating the dryer, and increasing the potential for overheating and fire or premature failure of the dryer.
It would be desirable to have a dryer that can consistently and accurately evaluate the airflow conditions therethrough, alert the user that an undesirable condition exists, and provide information to a service technician relating to the condition and its correction.